Chapter books to engage kids

Friday

Jul 19, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Just because you want your child to read doesn't necessarily mean they will embrace that activity with the same enthusiasm as, say, going to an amusement park. The key in interesting kids in reading independently or being read aloud to is to offer books that are wildly engaging, fast-paced, and a story they simply can't get enough of.

Just because you want your child to read doesn't necessarily mean they will embrace that activity with the same enthusiasm as, say, going to an amusement park. The key in interesting kids in reading independently or being read aloud to is to offer books that are wildly engaging, fast-paced, and a story they simply can't get enough of.

Such is the case with the books reviewed today. For more solid suggestions, visit this column's companion website, greatestbooksforkids.com and visit your local library to see what is available there.

Remember to keep kids reading, especially over the summer, to ensure their brains are active and alert. All too soon school will be back in session ...

In 1897, 12-year-old Billy McGee and his older sister, Edna, left Skagway, Alaska, trekking north to the Klondike. The siblings are without an adult on this grueling, treacherous mountain trail, but they have no choice. Their mother died unexpectedly, and they are following their father, who had previously set off to prospect for gold.

Edna feels certain that if they work hard enough, they'll find their father and together strike it rich. But Billy isn't so sure. He's heard of plenty of grownups who had all the right equipment and supplies that never even made it to the gold fields. Will they be able to make it all the way to Dawson City? Will they be able to find their father?

Brimming with nail-biting adventure, the essence of family, what is means to be afraid and finding the courage to move on, this historical novel is first-rate.

The Hawley Public Library, 103 Main Ave., Hawley

Choices this week: "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke; "Down the Yukon" by Will Hobbs; "The Higher Power of Lucky" by Susan Patron

Siblings Brendan, Eleanor and Cordelia have had their lives turned upside down when their father lost his lucrative job and the family is forced to downsize their life and relocate to an inexpensive home. The family chooses an old Victorian home that is ridiculously cheap (considering how beautiful it is). That should have been the first clue that something was amiss.

After a near-deadly encounter with a ghoulish, evil neighbor, the siblings find themselves separated from their parents and mysteriously transported to another time and place; a primeval forest ripe with bloodthirsty warriors, the terrifying Wind Witch, secret spell scrolls written in Latin, pirates, lies, treachery and more. And at the root of it all is the Wind Witch's insatiable desire to possess The Book of Doom and Desire, a book so powerful that, if in the wrong hands, will destroy the world.

You might think that the 490 page count is too lofty an undertaking. On the contrary. "House of Secrets" is extraordinarily fast-paced, bursting with fantasy, high adventure, and countless twists and turns that will have readers/listeners hanging on every word of every page, from start to finish.

Stick Dog lives in an empty pipe under Highway 16 in the suburbs. He is not lonely or sad; he has lived in the pipe for as long as he can remember, and Stick dog has four very good dog friends: Poo-Poo, Karen, Mutt and Stripes. Stick Dog's friends are very important to him, but there is one thing that is even more important — food.

As is happens, it is summer, and Stick Dog knows it is the time for humans to be grilling outdoors. One afternoon, Stick Dog and his buddies smell the irresistible aroma of hamburgers grilling in Prospect Park. Stick Dog has to get one of those hamburgers, and his friends decide to join him. But the task turns out to be much more complicated than any of the dogs anticipated.

Hilarious on every account, the kind-hearted Stick Dog and his four canine friends will have kids laughing page after page after page.

See greatestbooksforkids.com.

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